Below is the language from the old petition you signed that went to the town planning committee. It is null and closed now that the planning committee recommended that zoning change so the mall can be built. Still, it provides important background information. To continue the fight, though,

SIGN THE NEW PETITION AND GO TO TOWN HALL FOR THE HEARING ON

MAY 15, 2018 at 7 PM - HUNTINTON TOWN HALL

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The Town of Huntington, Mark Mediavilla, and real estate developer Kouros Torkan want to change our zoning laws and build a Mega-Mall - larger than Nassau Coliseum - just 3 miles from the Walt Whitman Shops.

The $80 million, 485,000-square foot Mega-Mall would be located at the corner of East Jericho Turnpike and Manor Road in Elwood (See Appendix B below). To accomplish this, the Huntington Town Board will alter the town's Comprehensive Plan and change the zoning at this location from R-40 Residential and C-6 General Business to C-5 Planned Shopping Center (Appendix C).

The 50+ acre property - owned by Mediavilla - is zoned residential 1 acre lots with the exception of a small, 4 store building at the corner of Jericho and Manor. The Mega-Mall would be constructed by Kouros Torkan's for-profit company, Villadom Corp. This company applied for $18.8 million in tax breaks from the Suffolk IDA, bringing into question lower property taxes or school budget benefits for residents.

By signing this petition you are letting our elected officials know that you want to maintain our current zoning laws and want the Mega-Mall plans to cease. Our reasons include the following:

· Altering the Town's Comprehensive Plan and changing zoning laws takes away one of the most crucial reasons why families live and move to Huntington. We choose to live here for residential neighborhoods with good schools and green space. If the residential zoning is changed, it would set dangerous precedent for more unwanted development. This means property in our neighborhoods can be sold and developed for multiple-dwelling housing, shopping centers, and other for-profit venues.

· We need solutions to current traffic problems in Huntington; we do not need to create more. The proposed development is located in an awkward area of Jericho Turnpike. The Mega-Mall would generate an additional 1,000 vehicles PER HOUR on Jericho which has been deemed "the deadliest road" on Long Island by Newsday. Getting to the Mega-Mall from the Northern State Parkway or Long Island Expressway would require driving on Deer Park Avenue, Park Avenue or Deer Park Road. This will adversely affect commuters who drive to Huntington Station LIRR. Further, the initial report on the development calls for widening of lanes in order to handle increased traffic. This is worrisome as there are residential neighborhoods along Deer Park Road to the south, Manor Road to the west and Warner Road/Elwood Road to the east with young children and school busses whose safety is of utmost importance. Of note, the intersections on Deer Park Road/Avenue at Old Country Road and the fork near the Dix Hills Fire Department are very dangerous (Appendix I).

· A Mega-Mall is absolutely unnecessary as it will hurt local, small businesses currently in existence on Jericho Turnpike and in the rest of Huntington. There are a myriad of articles and analyses written from other towns of how malls destroy downtowns and small businesses. Simply put, we already have a high-end mall at Walt Whitman, just 3 miles away from the proposed site, and we need to support the shops in Huntington Village!

· The proposed development would change parts of Mediavilla Orchard, affect the steep slope area bordering Berkeley Jackson County Park and destroy natural sand dunes from glaciers, verdant tall woods and open land for commercial buildings and a parking lot consisting of 1,700 parking stalls. The full environmental impact remains unknown. There are long-term questions regarding air and water pollution, particularly since the location sits on all three parts of our aquifer and is just across the street from the Greenlawn Water District tower and pump. Wildlife preservationists are concerned about the Red Tail Hawks, Great Horned Owls, and Box Turtles that live in this area. The threatened Pink Lady's Slipper Orchid grows there in the spring.

Perhaps Mark Mediavilla could work with concerned residents to find a more beautiful and responsible use for this space according to its residential zoning set forth in the Comprehensive Plan? Perhaps developer Kouros Torkan can just simply leave Huntington alone and build a 50+ acre Mega-Mall near his multimillion dollar homes in Nassau and the Hamptons instead?

Our elected officials serve the residents of the Town of Huntington first. As such, they need to think of the quality of life of those who put them in office. The Comprehensive Plan is clear: Leave zoning at Mediavilla Orchard as it is.

Please sign this petition to support maintaining our zoning laws and stop Mega-Mall development. Spread the word and let Huntington officials know its citizens love the town and want to make it more beautiful for current and future families – Lets do this together!

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FYI: Documents related to the development can be found on Huntington's government website. Below is the link to the Town's Comprehensive Plan and an independent traffic report. They are followed by the reports submitted by the developer, Nassau County's Kouros Torkan. These are NOT independent reports: